directed by:
Ronan Guilfoyle, Gerald K. Moore, Gabby Jones, Vivien Manaloto, Craig Selbrede written by: Craig Selbrede, Olivia Dimond, Liam Gilbey, K.S. Garner genre: Drama |
The review for Season One of "Hurt" can be found here.
The review for Season Two of "Hurt" can be found here. Well, here we are again. The “Hurt” crew is back in action. Let’s see how this season shapes up, shall we? The most noticeable thing you’ll find right off the drop is that “Hurt” changes up the format as the first episode begins, willingly adopting the point of view that has worked so well for shows like “The Office,” “Parks And Recreation,” “Abbott Elementary” and the like. That’s not a bad call to have made ultimately – it might not be regarded as the most unique choice in entertainment right now, but it’s undeniably effective and still quite popular. I know I still watch every one of those shows to this very day, so heck, I’m all for the switch. Where things get more troublesome is recognizing that it’s not exactly as easy as switching up the style to reap its benefits. As in, “Hurt” has comedic elements to it, sure…but I don’t know that I’m gonna be the guy to tell ya that’s the dominant trait of this particular show or that it should be. Episode one of season three shows us that it’s hard to replace what you know with what you think will work in more ways than one, as we not only deal with the transition of its style, but also get introduced to the character of Huntley, who is trying to replace his old friend Sailor with the main character we’ve come to know in this series, Stone. The dude we know is still sad, still fairly self-involved, still talking to his stuffed turtle, and still lamenting the things that could have been - instead of going after the life he wants to live. Finn, one of our favourite characters, has left for school, and as a result, Stone is more alone than perhaps he’s ever been. We also meet a whole bunch of other people, which gives episode one of season three a very mixed balance that kind of struggles to blend what we want to see in the continuation of this story - while moving it forward into its future. To their credit, “Hurt” always seems to find a way to do a whole lot with very little. The nonexistent budget is very apparent, but just like those shows I alluded to earlier, that shouldn’t stop it from finding its audience - as long as “Hurt” makes sure to prioritize its character-driven storylines as the main focus. Huntley is a stellar addition to this cast and generally has most of the highlight scenes in episode one. I worried a bit more for the series as episode two began – “Hurt” really seems to expect that we’re just going to get as used to a rotating cast of characters as Stone seems to in his own life – and I’m not so convinced that’s how many of us work. Mentally, we kind of get bogged down a little in trying to keep up with all the names and faces we’re shown in this show, which is largely what keeps the majority of casts out there in entertainment relegated to a fairly small core group. The more things expand, the more things that can potentially be watered down as our own limitations with retention for details are stretched as viewers. There’s a small chance I’m speaking for myself and my own poor ability to retain any information - based on the massive scope of things I’ve watched throughout the course of my life and career – but I think the generally small ensemble casts we’ve all grown accustomed to - in the majority of shows somewhat supports my overall theory. Of course, it can be beneficial to expand a cast – more characters = more storylines, more possibilities, more potential – but the risk is realistic when it comes to doing too much and not giving us quite enough at the same time. On the plus side, the majority of the characters, like Jasmine and Noah, that we’re introduced to in episode two are fairly strong, and the content is interesting – “Hurt” switches back from the style it used in episode one, closer to what we know from the series. It takes on a more fictional tone with its somewhat supernatural subplot in the background, which serves as a metaphor - so that Stone can feel like life isn’t so horrific after all. You can feel the show making a concentrated effort to include relevant topics and buzz terms like “no baby” and “emotional labour” – and sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t. I can get behind emotional labour, and I feel like they supported that concept well through what we see onscreen. As for the nepo baby reference…I mean…nah…that one misses the mark because Noah hasn’t really done anything other than be the kid of a rich & famous filmmaker so far, which isn’t really what being a nepo baby is – yet. Sure, the potential is there, and maybe one day that becomes true…but just being the child of a rich person doesn’t make you a nepo baby until you’re actively using that established clout for your own gain – at least, that’s my understanding of it. Anyhow. I like that “Hurt” went mainly black & white for this episode – it looks good, and overall, it’s a strong episode in the series. As for the audio issues that have long plagued this show from its very first season…I gotta give credit where credit is due – it seems like “Hurt” has resolved the bulk of its audible problems – they were nonexistent altogether in episode one, with only a hint of them showing up in episode two. Fingers crossed, they keep this level of quality up! Is it a coincidence that our self-involved main character, Stone, has posters and artwork of the show he’s actually IN on the walls right beside his bed? Dude literally cannot escape himself. Episode three, which is “I Want To Live, Part I,” displays some cleverness right from the get-go – I thought the idea of Stone waking up for the third time was smart, I enjoyed the narration that details his plight, and I loved that he was there on the couch soon enough, munching his way through an advent calendar in what we can assume is in advance of the dates on those tiny boxes. I also loved the fact that, when you see Stone outside with Andrea, they’re out there in the wind – and you can HEAR that, but in an APPROPRIATE amount! I’m tellin’ ya right now, folks, this scene would have killed the episode back in season one, but it’s moments like this that prove “Hurt” is evolving with its attention to technical details and becoming more watchable as a result…no joke, they should be proud of that. I liked Andrea before, and I was glad to see her return with such a humble and genuine demeanour, even if the handshake between her and Stone at the end seemed straight-up awkward & WEIRD. Stone actually says this directly himself out loud after Andrea leaves, giving voice to what I feel like we were all feeling at the end of that scene. Kelly returns to check up on Stone as well, and the two make a deal to become better friends as “I Want To Live, Part I” finishes up, setting up what we assume will be the storyline for “I Want To Live, Part II.” Kelly is great – she’s not only one of the stronger characters you’ll find in this show, but the acting is right on-point too. Stone invites her to spend Christmas with him, and while she cites a laundry list of what she’d normally be doing on the holiday, she oddly agrees to hang with him without much hesitation. “How’ve you been dealing with the change?” asks the narrative turtle, referring to the absence of the majority of the cast we once knew – and that’s a very good question! I think the answer is ‘better than we are’ – because to be real with ya, it’s a little strange to be watching a show where the cast rotates as significantly as it does in “Hurt.” Episode four is where we start to experience a few of those pesky audio issues that this show has consistently had – like the scene with Kelly and Stone at the kitchen table for example…somewhere, there’s a mic right on the table itself, which is allowing every hit of the coffee cup or movement from the characters to be picked up more than it should be. Aside from the mic thing, you’ll find volume issues become a noteworthy adversary in this episode, too – and the thing is, now we’ve seen that “Hurt” is capable of creating flawless work like they did in episode one of season three, we have to hold them to the highest standards they’ve shown us that they can adhere to. The flashback scenes with young Stone are good and well-written – they highlight the awkwardness of youth but also the savage honesty that can come along with it, even if it’s in the most mean-spirited moments. By the end of the episode, Stone decides he wants to live again for the hundredth time, and we’re still left hanging in the sense that, sure, we hope he means it, but it’d be real nice for him to have some actions that back up his words rather than just the implications of his enlightenment for once too.
Therein kind of lies the crux of this whole series though – it all rests firmly on Stone’s shoulders. You can use me as the litmus test if you like – I’m nearly through three whole seasons of “Hurt” and I still couldn’t tell you definitively that I even LIKE the main character of this show. That’s a damn tough sell when you’re looking at the bigger picture, you know what I mean? Sure, there are examples of how that’s not always the most important ingredient, from “Grey’s Anatomy” to “Gossip Girl” – the main character doesn’t always need to be the star of the show - or someone you can identify with or relate to, or even like in some cases – but there are countless examples we could all cite that show the easiest path to a show’s acceptance likely come from the opposite being true. In my opinion, “Hurt” could do a bit more to define its flashback scenes or fictional moments. I’m not suggesting anything so obvious as a screen-wipe or something corny like that, but it really does take some watching in order to understand how “Hurt” will drift from moment to moment onscreen without much warning. Griff returns from rehab again (I guess?) after having returned to it in episode one of season three, and episode five then becomes the mission to get Stone laid. Oddly, for a show that seems to be so determined to be dialed in to what’s important and what makes us who we really are, they concentrate largely on Stone’s appearance, rather than the content of his character, which is where the real work needs to be put in. We can change our shirts and hair all day long, but none of that matters because we are who we are underneath it all – and that’s where Stone faces massive challenges to find his “happily ever after.” Even the turtle knows he’s living inside of his head, hiding from the real world – and until that stops, he’s basically doomed to be the same guy that he’s always been, and the show held in stasis as a result. That’s the thing about trauma, though, ain’t it, folks? It sticks with us for so very, very long. While that’s a very true part of what “Hurt” is looking to communicate, it’s a bit of an ask for the audience to stick with such extraordinarily incremental change in its main character that it’s practically impossible to measure. Think of how this would work in your own life…would you stick it out with Stone constantly talking about the need for change but never quite going after it, or would you have left him behind and moved on by now? It takes a special kind of person & level of patience to wait out the effects of trauma. So heck yeah, there’s a whole lot of risk in centring an entire series around a character that a lot of people might not understand or enjoy – “Hurt” is going to have to accept that. Episode to episode, they gotta keep their ear on the volume issues - episode six starts at about half the volume episode five was at. I don’t want to be misread though – I am absolutely stoked about how much the technical issues that have haunted “Hurt” have been mostly fixed in season three – much work has been done and they deserve credit for that, but as the season carried on, you could feel the focus on that aspect start to drift once again. As Stone wakes up in a totally different apartment, with a bunch of frat-bros that seem to think he’s now straight, our main character understandably feels like he’s found his way into the “Twilight Zone.” Is “Hurt” introducing its own version of the multiverse here in episode six? Let’s hope not – because I already feel like this series is having a seriously tough time keeping the present on a focused track. “Maybe I’m really committed to the bit” – or maybe he’s delusional…maybe he’s still in bed and in the process of waking up for the fourth time and we’re still in episode three. He ends up talking to his younger self in this episode, which is an idea that I like, even if I feel like the advice he ends up giving to himself is just about as wrong as advice could ever possibly be. Oddly, it makes sense that this would be the case. Stone isn’t exactly all together as we know him in the present, so how could we possibly expect him to have the right advice for his younger self? Thankfully, this doesn’t seem to be an error as we flash back forward to Stone’s self-admission that both versions of him suck - and realizing that there has to be a better way for him to correct the past in order to save his future. At the same time, I think as viewers we might have to acknowledge that this fantasy-based concept might not exactly be the most helpful way of explaining how to go about dealing with the effects of real long-lasting traumas. Since this final episode has yet to be released, this entire section is a huge spoiler. Read at your own risk. As we head into the finale, which is currently unreleased and in its draft stage at the time of writing this review, Stone ends up confronting himself more directly and explaining how going back in time ain’t gonna fix things; it’s probably going to make them worse. To be more specific, it’s timeline number twelve that he’s talking to, the vegan-based Stone, and we’re now knee-deep in multiverse theory. I get it – it’s a tempting thing to write about and it sure seems like it’d be fun…but just like the advice our main character is giving to himself, it’s probably just going to make things worse. I feel like I like the youngest version of Stone we see – he’s more aggressive, less damaged, and more confident – which I suppose is fairly true of any of us when it comes right down to it. This Ted guy he’s been hanging with in the past is a total dick and has “the emotional depth of a brick” – he comes to represent how we often choose the wrong people to pal around with in our youth, and how that can continue to affect us in the future. So then we’ve got Stone visiting all the different versions of how his life could have turned out by trying to adjust his past, which somehow still allows him to have the insight of the Stone that we know each time he makes the jump, which of course, wouldn’t be the case and highlights one of the many reasons why writing with multiverse theory ends up introducing more problems than it solves. “All twenty-one episodes…does it matter…did you learn? Is this your happy ending?” F**k, are we getting meta here, or what? So we’re somewhat back to square one now, with Stone thinking about killing himself once again, before he meets “the real one” – the Stone from the future that worked out. “I am who I am, there’s no escaping that” – this is the most observant part of the dialogue, and it’s likely unaware of how insightful it is. Suppose we’re truly talking about multiverse theory. In that case, there is NO changing the Stone we’ve actually been riding with all along – there are other versions that would potentially be successful and okay, like “the real one” that we eventually meet…but again, if we’re talkin’ about true multiverse theory and parallel timelines and all that…they’re characters that don’t actually have any influence over the other. I appreciate where “Hurt” is coming from and what it’s trying to communicate, but it’s getting lost within the logic, which eventually all multiverse stuff does when it comes to the crossroads of how things intersect, interact, and yet also need to be decisively different, or there’d be no point to them existing at all…they can’t be the same or make the same choices; otherwise, they’d cease to exist. So it’s kind of like we have to believe in them all being as radically different as they would have to potentially be, or that there’s only one version of us and that’s the only one we get. I know, I know, I know…trying to introduce hard logic in a fictional story is being the wet blanket of human existence – I get it, but we don’t really get the option as objective viewers and critics. All that being said, I did find the concept engaging, the entertainment factor more significant, and the technical stuff more ironed out in season three…they’re moving the needle as a series, and so I will, too. I’ve given “Hurt” three stars in the past…I feel like season three deserves three and a half stars this around – it’s making progress on a parallel with its main character – it might be incremental, but it still counts in the long run. |
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